Friday Nights
by Faulty Paragon
Summary: It's inevitable that everyone goes their separate ways after graduating from Beacon. Thankfully, Ruby's taken on the role of keeping everyone together at heart, no matter what. A lot can happen in Crow Bar every Friday night- they're just a little too distracted to notice. -AU where Maidens/Fall of Beacon never happens, everyone lives, and Arkos and Renora are thriving.


A/N: Here's a silly little fic that's been in the back of my mind for months. It's set in Nora's favourite AU- cuz _nothing bad ever happened. Ever. _(aka the Fall/Maidens issue is non-existent and everyone lived)

Let me know what you think!

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Friday Nights

Graduation meant different things for everyone.

Despite it being Ruby's dream, the real world came calling faster than they thought was possible. Soon, everyone was living their own lives, travelling to different corners of Remnant in order to achieve their dreams and pursue whatever mission had driven them to Beacon in the first place. While many people stayed in Vale, many more travelled to the ends of the world, seeking out their heart's desires. So, for two years- two long, long years, the only people who stayed behind in Vale were Ruby and Team CFVY.

It was Ruby's idea to begin their weekly meetups. "That way, whenever you're in town, you can come join us and catch up!" the girl insisted. And everyone smiled and agreed, because her eyes were pleading, and they knew that the young woman- who was finally achieving her dream of keeping Vale safe as one of its most promising young Huntresses- was still so, so lonely without her friends by her side. Friday night dinners in whatever restaurant would take them were a small price to pay to make the young woman smile.

Ruby didn't begrudge anyone for leaving, though. Blake went off to restore the White Fang to its former glory, and to continue working for peace and equality for the Faunus. Weiss, of course, had some concerts to hold, some monsters to slay, and a company to take over from the inside out in order to ensure growth for the Schnee Dust Company's legacy. And Yang was content running around Anima, chasing down Raven and the Branwen Tribe (despite all of Taiyang's quiet protests) and figuring out what it really meant to her to be a 'Huntress'.

All of Team JNPR returned to Anima as well, although their base near Midoyuri, dedicated to protecting the local villages while still being close enough for Pyrrha to still do press conferences and media promotions in Haven, was nothing too fancy.

So, for a few years, it was just Team CFVY and the adopted member they found in Ruby. The younger girl smiled and cheered everyone on- and whenever their professors came down from Beacon to join them for dinner, sharing stories and laughs and making the world just a little brighter for her with their nostalgic presence, her happiness only grew.

But everyone knew that the young Huntress only truly began to laugh again properly when her teammates came back to Vale, two years after graduating.

The White Fang had gone through its growing pains, with Ghira and Kali taking control back from the violent leaders of the previous decade- Yang had come back with more love and affection for her friends and family than ever, clearly having found some peace in discussing things with Raven at last- Weiss established a branch office in Vale for the SDC so she could work closer to her heart's true home, Beacon (although everyone knew she just wanted to be with her team again)- and Team JNPR had finally defeated one of the most horrifying Grimm in the forested, rural heart of Anima, successfully quelling the Grimm outbreak which had been haunting Ren and Nora's homeland all their lives.

Upon returning, they began to follow Ruby's simple request, taking it to heart. Whenever they were available, the group found themselves in _Crow Bar, _much to the chagrin of Ruby and Yang's Uncle Qrow, who "didn't want any kids in his damn house". But Ruby was legal to drink at last, so the man could only huff and groan when he saw his nieces entering his old hideaway.

The bartender didn't know what to do with them all- he could barely handle Qrow himself, the man picking drunken fights with other patrons more often than not- but something about Ruby's large, pleading silver eyes compelled him to sigh and reserve the tables for Ruby and her friends each week.

There, they laughed, and drank, and shared stories of their past missions and their lives outside of the job. Yang would arm wrestle random strangers and gloat about the winnings, often buying drinks for the whole group if she'd won enough. Blake always had a book in one hand (although once Sun and Ilia came to Vale permanently, their goal was constantly to sneak it away from her so she'd play a dang drinking game with them for once) and a drink in the other. And Ruby would drunkenly cling to Weiss, who was effectively the eternal designated chaperone of the group, since the new CEO of the SDC refused to drink for fear she might 'tarnish the SDC's new rebuilt reputation'.

But it was Team JNPR that really caught everyone's attention in _Crow Bar. _Two people, in particular; after all, four years of sharing a room in Beacon had done nothing to ease the tension between Pyrrha and Jaune. The bartender heard the whole story from Ruby, of how the two of them had been dancing around one another since the end of their first year at Beacon Academy, and the past six years of working to protect the world had clearly done nothing to dwindle that flame.

So, by the time the two came back to Vale with their teammates, the entire crew was ready to get them together. It took a bit of doing (a locked restroom in the back of _Crow Bar _was used to trap the two- much to Pyrrha's embarrassment- more than once, since Ruby was never very original in her scheming) but eventually, Jaune realized what needed to be done. And when he finally asked her to be his girlfriend, the amount of property damage in the ensuing celebration was _staggering. _

The bartender was happy for them. He still made them pay for the damages, though.

Other relationships happened over time, too. Eventually, Blake put down her book to look at Sun again for the first time in years, and the young man just _lit _up. That didn't last long, though- Ilia had her time to shine in Blake's heart, too. However, as weeks wore on and the buzz from Jaune and Pyrrha's painfully-awkward first relationship wore off, the two found themselves both seated glumly at the bar more often than not while Yang showed off her winnings to Blake, the young cat Faunus smiling back in return.

At least there was solidarity between Ilia and Sun. Their friendship, and the silly commentary built to mask their broken hearts, made the bartender laugh, for sure.

Others came and went. Eventually, Yatsuhashi and Velvet, finally comfortable announcing their own relationship, decided to go off to Mistral to visit Yatsu's family. Coco went off to Vacuo to accompany Fox back home for the first time in nearly a decade. Sun and Ilia went their separate ways, then came back, the allure and excitement of Sanus drawing them back every time whenever the work with the White Fang died down for a bit.

However, there were two people throughout this who flew under the radar.

At the start, it was because Ren preferred quietude that he stayed at the bar more often than not. It was usually much calmer there, compared to in the center of the main floor where the rest of their friends would drunkenly cheer and play games. And, of course, no one asked questions whenever Nora left the group to go check on him. It was just what Nora and Ren did, right?

But over time, Nora stopped joining everyone for games as often. She stopped arm-wrestling Yang, stopped teasing Jaune and Pyrrha- her evenings eventually were spent unobtrusively by the bar, murmuring to Ren as they enjoyed drinks in peace. The bartender didn't mind. Nora was much less destructive when she was near the quiet, centered young man, and their quiet conversations, albeit usually too hushed to hear, always reached his ears filled with warmth and care. It was a nice change of pace to have them nearby.

And soon, he began to look forward to every Friday evening, when he'd have those two seated by the bar, quietly chatting. He even didn't begrudge Ruby when she asked to reserve more tables, since their old professors had begun to join them more regularly.

Once Jaune and Pyrrha decided to move in together, no one questioned how Nora and Ren found a place on their own without their teammates. It made sense that Nora and Ren would stay together. And when Blake and Yang broke up and got back together and broke up for the umpteenth time that year, no one was really surprised when the two Mistralian orphans did nothing but smile gently at one another. The bartender saw the look of gratitude and wry understanding in their eyes, but he didn't comment. It wasn't his business, and he didn't want to drive away his two favourite Friday night clients.

So, when Nora and Ren began leaving at different times to Jaune and Pyrrha after the move (much to Pyrrha's disappointment, always looking so utterly crestfallen upon seeing her best friend leave without her- Nora always hugged her tight, because intoxicated Pyrrha was a weepy Pyrrha, and Nora knew that although she was tearing up then, Pyrrha would be alright in the morning) no one said anything. The bartender simply smiled and took their tips with words of thanks, and the two would walk out of the bar after saying their goodbyes. Their friends turned back to the game at hand, and Nora and Ren would disappear into the night.

The bartender said nothing when he began to see Nora and Ren holding hands whenever they entered the bar on those chosen Friday nights. He never brought it up when they began to hold hands at the counter itself, low, underneath the bar, voices affectionate. He never asked the questions burning his tongue once he finally caved and listened-in to their conversations, only to find that they were discussing their groceries and missions schedules and how much laundry detergent they needed to buy.

He found out that Nora had a penchant for pancakes. But Ren always had flour and milk and eggs on his shopping list, and the bartender could only laugh as the orange-haired woman smiled in relief whenever Ren said they had enough ingredients at home to make her favourite nighttime snack.

Months turned into nearly two years of this routine. The duo didn't come by every Friday- they were Huntsmen, after all, and missions took priority- but Ruby's gatherings never lost their strength, and the bartender new that he'd always see his two favourites back at the bar eventually.

It was only when he saw the thin, simple rings on both Nora and Ren's hands that he decided to bring up the nature of their relationship. After an hour of itching to ask them about the jewelry, he brought them both another round of their favourite drinks- Ren received his favourite sake, while Nora always ordered a spicy, infused cocktail with fun garnishes he began to specially make for the normally-hyper woman- and murmured, "Those rings are new."

Ren blushed, the alcohol making him easy to read. Nora grinned wolfishly, leaning forward, beckoning the bartender over. He obeyed, leaning towards her, and she whispered, "He's gonna wife me. Don't tell the others, we're seeing how long it takes for them to notice."

The bartender snorted, shaking his head. "How long's it been?"

"About three weeks," Ren murmured, glancing over his shoulder to look at their friends. They were finishing a round of King's Cup, and Sun was the unlucky man who had to drink the horrifying concoction brewed from everyone else's drinks. The blond man was desperately trying not to gag, and Yang and Ruby were just cheering, their voices deafening in the otherwise-peaceful bar.

Nora winked, swirling her straw through her slushy beverage. "I'll tell Pyrrha by the end of next week- she needs to help me get a dress."

Ren shook his head ruefully, murmuring, "I took Jaune with me to buy the ring and he still hasn't realized it. I don't know if I should tell him."

"That's our leader for ya!" Nora chirped brightly, totally unfazed.

To that, Ren simply sighed, finishing up the last of his sake. Taking a moment to watch his friends lovingly, the man commented, "They'll be happy for us."

"Well, duh. I mean, it's about time you asked me!"

The two of them exchanged more gentle, light-hearted banter on behalf of their friends while Nora enjoyed the rest of her drink. Then, after paying their tabs, they waved to the bartender, clasped their hands together with interlocking fingers, and left the bar, leaving the bartender with so much warmth and happiness in his heart that even a drunken Qrow had to notice the smile on his face from the other end of the bar.

It took the rest of the group three more weeks to finally spot the rings, and the celebration was earth-shattering. There may have been a broken billiards table in the aftermath of Yang's joy, although Blake tried to minimize the damage. But for once, the bartender found that he didn't mind- the sheer look of happiness on everyone's faces, from Nora and Ren, to Pyrrha and Jaune, to young, content little Ruby, was worth it. He'd let it slide, just for the night.

**_-fin-_**


End file.
